Starfield discussion thread

[Frick]

I can't stand the ragged cloth ones if that's what you mean. They look more like a trashy nightgown than space armor to me.

The Calisto Protocol got some things very right. It describes the human body as too fragile for deep space travel without genetic modification. It's not something you toss a nightgown on for and say lets make a go of it.

No, the one that looks like a tight fitting space suit.

 

[Frag_Maniac]

No, the one that looks like a tight fitting space suit.

Yeah but the problem is, that option ends at the level 8 Tempus suit, then it goes riches to rags the last two. And if you don't accept the next Starborn suit, you are getting less specs, plus you can't hang onto previous Starborn suits. Really bad NG+ design, it's boring and lazily made.

 

[Frick]

Yeah but the problem is, that option ends at the level 8 Tempus suit, then it goes riches to rags the last two. And if you don't accept the next Starborn suit, you are getting less specs, plus you can't hang onto previous Starborn suits. Really bad NG+ design, it's boring and lazily made.

Ahh ok. So the later suits look like the rag-things the starborn looked like? I just assumed those were rags they wore on top of a space suit. Other than that I like how the space suits look in this game.

So another little genuinely good moment: I'm on a frozen moon, nearby an abandoned *something*. A ship lands nearby, I walk over and it's a Va'ruun ship! There are some zealots outside. I snipe them and the ship just takes off.

 

[[crs]]

I tried it again with the DLC that launched recently, it's still so underwhelming. I regret buying the game.

 

[Lost_Troll]

I tried it again with the DLC that launched recently, it's still so underwhelming. I regret buying the game.

Yea, I tried the NG+ play through and gave up and uninstalled it, I also doubt I will come back to it.

 

[Frick]

I tried it again with the DLC that launched recently, it's still so underwhelming. I regret buying the game.

If you didn't like it on launch you'll never like it. I can't see how it can be substantially altered.

 

[Frick]

I've figured out why I like this game and have close to 140 hours in it, as opposed to Fallout 3*, Fallout 4** and Skyrim***, despite it not being much better****: The planets, and the fast travel, and the space ship.

Starfield is a click fest when it comes to actual travel. It's not a space-game. You go to places by pressing at least six buttons. M for map, Tab for Zoom out, Tab for Zoom out, Left Click to pick system, Left Click to select which system (in case there's two), Left click to choose planet, Left click to confirm. Sometimes you can land directly on the body you're travelling to, sometimes you can only Jump, which means you'll have an encounter, which can be either pirates or law enforcement. And to me, it works. Because the worlds aren't connected. It makes sense. I've realized fast travel is something that has always bothered me about open world games, even in the good ones (Fallout New Vegas). So there is this big and open world and I can go wherever I want ... but in reality what you get is many different Locations, and a whole lot of filler between those locations. It makes sense, not every bit of everything can be interesting, and it doesn't have to be, but it also means if I have to go from A-C again I'm just going to use fast travel and ... it makes for a disjointed experience. The main reason I like the Lords of the Rings trilogy (the books that is) is the sense of travel. Going into the unknown, and the strange. I've always loved that feeling, driving on unseen roads, walking where I've never set foot before, even if it means I'm just taking a different way home from work. Fast travel is like a portal (from the game). I'm trudging through this wasteland, I've just fought off raiders and I'm terribly hurt and [Click-Click] I'm home safe (not that there is a home). I have actually played at least Fallout 4 and Skyrim with No Fast Travel mods and guess what? It doesn't work, because the games aren't made for it. There are games like that, and they're called walking simulators, and The Long Dark.

Enter Starfield, which handily bypasses all of this by setting all the locations on different planets. It makes sense to travel. It even makes sense that it requires many clicks. It's four lightyears, not four miles. Also enter the Starship, which is an RV, or a home away from home. Your spaceship is your base. I can buy homes wherever, but the game demands that I spend more time in the spaceship and so it makes sense to have at least the basics in it, right? (the basics being crafting stations, and as many couches as there are crew members, Vasco not included) Oh I've done this stuff on this planet? SUCKS TO BE YOU, off I go. I'm in a space ship that can jump wherever I want, I can just leave. Whenever, whatever, if I get to the ship I can just piss off into eternity. (this doesn't always makes sense, but it makes more sense to me than say Skyrim)

The game obviously could be a whole lot better, but yeah I genuinely think it's a best case scenario for what a Bethesda game can be. They are maxed out. Todd is at full mast, this is all there is. The good thing is that they've finally made a game I genuinely like, the downside is that I'm seemingly the only one.

*played maybe 10 hours, hated it
**hate-played for 60 hours to explore the depth of the stupidity, the last 20 hours a modded survival game and HEY an update and everything is borked I hate mods and it didn't make the game better, just different, I still sort of want to get lost in it and write 10k words on how dumb it is, but that is a project for future, better, me
***probably something like 50 hours, the first run I maxed out my crafting and then stopped playing and the second run, survival-modded, lasted until an update broke everything and have I told you how I hate mods? and again the game didn't get better, just different
****better as in writing and design and shit, I do genuinely think of Starfield as a Bethesda game but polished

 

[Space Lynx]

I've figured out why I like this game and have close to 140 hours in it, as opposed to Fallout 3*, Fallout 4** and Skyrim***, despite it not being much better****: The planets, and the fast travel, and the space ship.

Starfield is a click fest when it comes to actual travel. It's not a space-game. You go to places by pressing at least six buttons. M for map, Tab for Zoom out, Tab for Zoom out, Left Click to pick system, Left Click to select which system (in case there's two), Left click to choose planet, Left click to confirm. Sometimes you can land directly on the body you're travelling to, sometimes you can only Jump, which means you'll have an encounter, which can be either pirates or law enforcement. And to me, it works. Because the worlds aren't connected. It makes sense. I've realized fast travel is something that has always bothered me about open world games, even in the good ones (Fallout New Vegas). So there is this big and open world and I can go wherever I want ... but in reality what you get is many different Locations, and a whole lot of filler between those locations. It makes sense, not every bit of everything can be interesting, and it doesn't have to be, but it also means if I have to go from A-C again I'm just going to use fast travel and ... it makes for a disjointed experience. The main reason I like the Lords of the Rings trilogy (the books that is) is the sense of travel. Going into the unknown, and the strange. I've always loved that feeling, driving on unseen roads, walking where I've never set foot before, even if it means I'm just taking a different way home from work. Fast travel is like a portal (from the game). I'm trudging through this wasteland, I've just fought off raiders and I'm terribly hurt and [Click-Click] I'm home safe (not that there is a home). I have actually played at least Fallout 4 and Skyrim with No Fast Travel mods and guess what? It doesn't work, because the games aren't made for it. There are games like that, and they're called walking simulators, and The Long Dark.

Enter Starfield, which handily bypasses all of this by setting all the locations on different planets. It makes sense to travel. It even makes sense that it requires many clicks. It's four lightyears, not four miles. Also enter the Starship, which is an RV, or a home away from home. Your spaceship is your base. I can buy homes wherever, but the game demands that I spend more time in the spaceship and so it makes sense to have at least the basics in it, right? (the basics being crafting stations, and as many couches as there are crew members, Vasco not included) Oh I've done this stuff on this planet? SUCKS TO BE YOU, off I go. I'm in a space ship that can jump wherever I want, I can just leave. Whenever, whatever, if I get to the ship I can just piss off into eternity. (this doesn't always makes sense, but it makes more sense to me than say Skyrim)

The game obviously could be a whole lot better, but yeah I genuinely think it's a best case scenario for what a Bethesda game can be. They are maxed out. Todd is at full mast, this is all there is. The good thing is that they've finally made a game I genuinely like, the downside is that I'm seemingly the only one.

*played maybe 10 hours, hated it
**hate-played for 60 hours to explore the depth of the stupidity, the last 20 hours a modded survival game and HEY an update and everything is borked I hate mods and it didn't make the game better, just different, I still sort of want to get lost in it and write 10k words on how dumb it is, but that is a project for future, better, me
***probably something like 50 hours, the first run I maxed out my crafting and then stopped playing and the second run, survival-modded, lasted until an update broke everything and have I told you how I hate mods? and again the game didn't get better, just different
****better as in writing and design and shit, I do genuinely think of Starfield as a Bethesda game but polished

I really hate that they patched out the little trick from launch day, where you can steal a nice space suit from a basement display case because of a "gap" in the window. I did that on my first playthrough and it made the experience all that much more fun. I love finding little random shit like that, as long as it's not too overpowered, and in this case it wasn't, just was very helpful early in the game.

 

[the54thvoid]

I bought Star Wars Outlaws on discount, and so far it's better than Robocop (it was so hollow - so much opportunity wasted). Not quite Fallen Order or Survivor, but the brief time I've played, it's enjoyable enough. Graphics are good. I'd rather not piss about trying to eek out 50fps on low settings, so I think the performace choices work out well.

 

[Frick]

SO NG+ and this time around I'm doing the Crimson Fleet questline, and the start of it is nonsense. They want me to gather evidence? EVIDENCE? And then they talk about how much death and destruction the cause, and they want to what, put them on trial? Instead of just blasting them to smithereens in space? And I get money for each piece of evidence I bring? Gods. Before I was just framed into doing it, and that was so much better.

 

[Frick]

So I'm stealing an award, so naturally I just run up to the woman with the code I need to get it.
"Now why would I give you that code??"
[Manipulation +5]"Can't you see we're on the same side here?"
"... you're starting to make a lot of sense."

It is so very really stupid. And all the bribes are so low! "Here, have a sum equaling 100 beers", "Wow thank you I will totally risk my life for that!"

 

[Aken Bosch]

Just tried this out (again) today. It's stuttering every 3-5 seconds like there's no tomorrow, never happened before. Bleh. Back to Black Mesa.

 

[EsliteMoby]

Just tried this out (again) today. It's stuttering every 3-5 seconds like there's no tomorrow, never happened before. Bleh. Back to Black Mesa.

Does this happen only in some indoor areas like Broken Spear with lots of NPCs? I have that issue and don't know if it's related to CPU or software.

 

[Aken Bosch]

Does this happen only in some indoor areas like Broken Spear with lots of NPCs? I have that issue and don't know if it's related to CPU or software.

I just checked again. Funnily enough it doesn't stutter anymore. Other than graphics drivers and Windows updates I didn't changed anything.

Testes on New Atlantis (indoor/outdoor), Cydonia (including Broken Spears), space travel, etc so I have no damn clue...

 

[Frick]

I just checked again. Funnily enough it doesn't stutter anymore. Other than graphics drivers and Windows updates I didn't changed anything.

Then the stuttering was driver related.

 

[Flogger23m]

My thoughts on Starfield Shattered Space, in regards to people saying it was kind of dull

I was going to post about this in the Starfield thread. There is one quest where you have to find a worthless character you do not care about. If you listen to all the dialogue about them, it will take 10+ minutes. When you finally meet them, you talk to them for 2 minutes. Why is there so much build up for what is ultimately a worthless NPC? They're not even a side character, just one of hundreds of upon hundreds of extremely minor characters in game. Why are they recording this much dialogue between multiple actors for a character whose time on screen is so little, and whose and interaction is so basic? I am wondering what happened. It feels like AI writing and quest design, though an actual person (probably multiple) would have needed to green light these quests. They don't really even make an attempt to make the quests more than "go here, do this". The illusion is simply not there. There is a lot of recorded dialogue (or is it AI voice?), but the relevance is so little it makes me wonder why.

They also make some nice underground areas that are essentially just zones to slaughter NPCs, which is not horrible, but this is not exactly a good FPS game because it fails at that to. It is passable, but that is all it is. With some good writing and quest design those areas could have come to life instead of being corridor after corridor of dumb NPC slaying.

The overall dialogue for the player is even worse as you mentioned. Almost all options result in the same reaction from characters. You can insult them and they essentially never do anything except maybe once or twice. They always make excuses. Why even have a dialogue option if all the results are the same, we can't even hear or see our character deliver the line differently.

I've done all but 2 side quests. The map is nicely designed, everything else is not. It does not get better.

Will I play DLC 2? Maybe, but the quest design seems to be gotten even more flat compared to the main game. On one hand it is kind of easy so you can kind of finish it gradually. But 150+ hours into the game, I don't think I have much interest in it anymore.

They would really need to improve the writing quality of the next DLC. They did fix the constant fast travel issue with quest design, but that is about the only major improvement.

 

[Frick]

@Flogger23m Playing Shattered Space right now ... and yeah? Maybe. I'm not sure the quest design is flatter, as such, but maybe. I do like the level/map design, it does actually feel a bit different. As for the dialouge I'll just say it's a Bethesda game, they have never been good at that. The big problem is the entire premise of the DLC. The faction is interesting, and I do like the introduction of it, but once you get past that it just becomes another place. And it turns out "Ohhh all those guys who shot at you before? yeah they're weirdos we do'nt like them either" and everyone is just like on every other planet but like french/slavic accents (except from some black guys who, and there's no nice way of saying this, has a "black guy" accent). Ohhhh Thank you For Your Help, complete stranger. But it's Bethesda, I'll take it.

And I'm probably the weird one but I think the combat is pretty strong actually, but I'll say that as someone who has never really been into shooters. Also I exclusively (almost) use sniper rifles and I do enjoy taking out entire bases without even getting shot at. The underground slaughter stuff you mention is absolutely true, but it's also easy enough so it's not really a slog. And I do believe those areas are smaller than they usually were in the base game, at least the ones I've been to so far, so it's not as long a process to clear them out.

Anyway this is a note I took from an encounter on Neon and I still think it hightlights the Persuade system:

Walking up to a random girl at a drug-nightclub, in a fancy suit.
"+5 I figured you'd be more into quality."
[success]
"Although what you said have insulted me, you have given me much to think about."

 

[Launcestonian]

I've figured out why I like this game and have close to 140 hours in it, as opposed to Fallout 3*, Fallout 4** and Skyrim***, despite it not being much better****: The planets, and the fast travel, and the space ship.

Starfield is a click fest when it comes to actual travel. It's not a space-game. You go to places by pressing at least six buttons. M for map, Tab for Zoom out, Tab for Zoom out, Left Click to pick system, Left Click to select which system (in case there's two), Left click to choose planet, Left click to confirm. Sometimes you can land directly on the body you're travelling to, sometimes you can only Jump, which means you'll have an encounter, which can be either pirates or law enforcement. And to me, it works. Because the worlds aren't connected. It makes sense. I've realized fast travel is something that has always bothered me about open world games, even in the good ones (Fallout New Vegas). So there is this big and open world and I can go wherever I want ... but in reality what you get is many different Locations, and a whole lot of filler between those locations. It makes sense, not every bit of everything can be interesting, and it doesn't have to be, but it also means if I have to go from A-C again I'm just going to use fast travel and ... it makes for a disjointed experience. The main reason I like the Lords of the Rings trilogy (the books that is) is the sense of travel. Going into the unknown, and the strange. I've always loved that feeling, driving on unseen roads, walking where I've never set foot before, even if it means I'm just taking a different way home from work. Fast travel is like a portal (from the game). I'm trudging through this wasteland, I've just fought off raiders and I'm terribly hurt and [Click-Click] I'm home safe (not that there is a home). I have actually played at least Fallout 4 and Skyrim with No Fast Travel mods and guess what? It doesn't work, because the games aren't made for it. There are games like that, and they're called walking simulators, and The Long Dark.

Enter Starfield, which handily bypasses all of this by setting all the locations on different planets. It makes sense to travel. It even makes sense that it requires many clicks. It's four lightyears, not four miles. Also enter the Starship, which is an RV, or a home away from home. Your spaceship is your base. I can buy homes wherever, but the game demands that I spend more time in the spaceship and so it makes sense to have at least the basics in it, right? (the basics being crafting stations, and as many couches as there are crew members, Vasco not included) Oh I've done this stuff on this planet? SUCKS TO BE YOU, off I go. I'm in a space ship that can jump wherever I want, I can just leave. Whenever, whatever, if I get to the ship I can just piss off into eternity. (this doesn't always makes sense, but it makes more sense to me than say Skyrim)

The game obviously could be a whole lot better, but yeah I genuinely think it's a best case scenario for what a Bethesda game can be. They are maxed out. Todd is at full mast, this is all there is. The good thing is that they've finally made a game I genuinely like, the downside is that I'm seemingly the only one.

*played maybe 10 hours, hated it
**hate-played for 60 hours to explore the depth of the stupidity, the last 20 hours a modded survival game and HEY an update and everything is borked I hate mods and it didn't make the game better, just different, I still sort of want to get lost in it and write 10k words on how dumb it is, but that is a project for future, better, me
***probably something like 50 hours, the first run I maxed out my crafting and then stopped playing and the second run, survival-modded, lasted until an update broke everything and have I told you how I hate mods? and again the game didn't get better, just different
****better as in writing and design and shit, I do genuinely think of Starfield as a Bethesda game but polished

Hey, your not the only one who likes Starfield. Having a good system to play it on helps a lot with immersion. What do you think of it with the latest patch? personally, I've found a few things mucked up but they are very minor so far with a new playthrough now on level 29.

 

[Space Lynx]

@Flogger23m Playing Shattered Space right now ... and yeah? Maybe. I'm not sure the quest design is flatter, as such, but maybe. I do like the level/map design, it does actually feel a bit different. As for the dialouge I'll just say it's a Bethesda game, they have never been good at that. The big problem is the entire premise of the DLC. The faction is interesting, and I do like the introduction of it, but once you get past that it just becomes another place. And it turns out "Ohhh all those guys who shot at you before? yeah they're weirdos we do'nt like them either" and everyone is just like on every other planet but like french/slavic accents (except from some black guys who, and there's no nice way of saying this, has a "black guy" accent). Ohhhh Thank you For Your Help, complete stranger. But it's Bethesda, I'll take it.

And I'm probably the weird one but I think the combat is pretty strong actually, but I'll say that as someone who has never really been into shooters. Also I exclusively (almost) use sniper rifles and I do enjoy taking out entire bases without even getting shot at. The underground slaughter stuff you mention is absolutely true, but it's also easy enough so it's not really a slog. And I do believe those areas are smaller than they usually were in the base game, at least the ones I've been to so far, so it's not as long a process to clear them out.

Anyway this is a note I took from an encounter on Neon and I still think it hightlights the Persuade system:

Walking up to a random girl at a drug-nightclub, in a fancy suit.
"+5 I figured you'd be more into quality."
[success]
"Although what you said have insulted me, you have given me much to think about."

Shattered Space is the only expansion they are doing correct? There is no more content coming except maybe one or two more updates?

 

[Frick]

Shattered Space is the only expansion they are doing correct? There is no more content coming except maybe one or two more updates?

I see a lot of people saying that, but they are basing that on them not liking the game.

Hey, your not the only one who likes Starfield. Having a good system to play it on helps a lot with immersion. What do you think of it with the latest patch? personally, I've found a few things mucked up but they are very minor so far with a new playthrough now on level 29.

I'm the wrong person to ask about updates. I usually don't notice them.

 

[Chrispy_]

What's new in Shattered Space since launch? Have the patched the combat AI/pathfinding at all?

I played the first 20 minutes of Shattered Space campaign and put it down because the braindead, glitchy AI makes for unexciting F-tier combat that feels more like a chore than fun. The janky combat AI was borderline acceptable in Elder Scrolls games where you have to reload your arrows or wait for magicka/mana to recharge - but in Starfield where everyone is using automatic weapons the AI simply doesn't cut it and I remember it being even worse in Shattered Space than it was in the base game, possibly because the AI can't handle tight space stations or zero-grav combat independently, let alone both of those things at the same time.

 

[Launcestonian]

What's new in Shattered Space since launch? Have the patched the combat AI/pathfinding at all?

I played the first 20 minutes of Shattered Space campaign and put it down because the braindead, glitchy AI makes for unexciting F-tier combat that feels more like a chore than fun. The janky combat AI was borderline acceptable in Elder Scrolls games where you have to reload your arrows or wait for magicka/mana to recharge - but in Starfield where everyone is using automatic weapons the AI simply doesn't cut it and I remember it being even worse in Shattered Space than it was in the base game, possibly because the AI can't handle tight space stations or zero-grav combat independently, let alone both of those things at the same time.

I didn't get on the DLC train for this game, still creating fun in the vanilla base game, but the reviews for it a mixed at best. Surprising the negativity with this game on steam - considering it one an award for most innovative gameplay in 23'. Also, metacritic & opencritic rated it over 80%. I reckon these a lot of bot accounts discrediting Bethesda & Starfield out there in cyber world. Haters love hating...

 

[Event Horizon]

I didn't get on the DLC train for this game, still creating fun in the vanilla base game, but the reviews for it a mixed at best. Surprising the negativity with this game on steam - considering it one an award for most innovative gameplay in 23'. Also, metacritic & opencritic rated it over 80%. I reckon these a lot of bot accounts discrediting Bethesda & Starfield out there in cyber world. Haters love hating...

I had about 120h in the base game before I put it down. Have not bought Shattered Space because I'd rather see the base game improved and expanded on, either by mods or patches.

 

[A&P211]

I had about 120h in the base game before I put it down. Have not bought Shattered Space because I'd rather see the base game improved and expanded on, either by mods or patches.

I put about 110hrs within the 1st week or 2 of launch day. I'm also the same, I haven't picked it up since launch day. I got my for free with a AMD graphics card, I was able to get the deluxe version with 1 DLC. I"ll give it another 6 months then I'll play it again.

 

[londiste]

I put about 110hrs within the 1st week or 2 of launch day. I'm also the same, I haven't picked it up since launch day. I got my for free with a AMD graphics card, I was able to get the deluxe version with 1 DLC. I"ll give it another 6 months then I'll play it again.

Is there a good reason to wait? Starfield did get a patch in May but one before that was in... November last year? From Bethesda side the game seems to be "done". There are rumors/hopes about second expansion and it getting a release on PS5 but if neither of those happen I would not hold out for any meaningful updates. Some bug fixes every 6 months or so maybe if lucky.

I played it at launch, somewhere mid-2024 and through Shattered Space when it came out, with a quick revisit after update last November. The game has come a long way since launch.